Automatic windscreen wipers whose operation is determined by a rain sensor, for example with respect to sweep speed and repetition frequency, have been on the market for some time now. Moreover, various solutions have been presented to further enhance a driver's interface to the wiping function and increase the viewing possibilities in difficult weather conditions.
For example JP 1996-0299128 shows a system for adjusting a wiper stop time depending on the presence or non-presence of a car running ahead or a change in an inter-vehicle distance. Here, the distance between the own car and a car running ahead is measured, and when it is determined that there is a risk of receiving water splash from the car running ahead based on the inter-vehicle distance and the own car's speed, an intermittent stop time for the wiper is reduced. Thus, the wiper's capacity to remove water from the windscreen is increased.
JP 2008-0220208 discloses another solution according to which the wiping operation is controlled based on the presence or absence of a preceding vehicle travelling ahead of an advancing direction of one's own vehicle. Here, a laser, a speed sensor and a navigation system are used together with a raindrop sensor to control the operation of the wiper, such that the operation suits any rain drops and splashes ending up on the windscreen, and at the same time, the wiping operation is stabilized.
Consequently, solutions are known for automatically controlling the windscreen wipers of a car with respect to any splashes and spray from other vehicles travelling in the same direction as the own car. However, there is yet no efficient general control means for handling splashes and spray from other road participants which is independent from the travelling direction of the other vehicles relative to the own vehicle.